1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a backplane connector, and more particularly to a receptacle backplane connector having a universal passageway capable of mating with plug connector with different interfaces.
2. Description of Related Art
U.S. Pat. No. 7,118,391, issued to Minich et al on Oct. 10, 2006, discloses an electrical connector having a lead frame housing, a first electrical contact fixed in the lead frame housing, a second electrical contact fixed adjacent to the first electrical contact in the lead frame housing, and a third electrical contact fixed adjacent to the second electrical contact in the lead frame housing. Each of the first and second electrical contacts may be selectively designated, while securely fixed in the lead frame housing, as either a ground contact or a signal contact such that, in a first designation, the first and second contacts form jointly configure a differential signal pair, and, in a second designation, the second contact is a single-ended signal conductor. The third electrical contact may be designated as a ground contact having a terminal end that extends beyond terminal ends of the first and second contacts.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,652,318, issued to Winings et al on Nov. 25, 2003, discloses a high speed electrical connector configured, theoretically and ideally, to reduce the incidence of cross-talk. The connector includes a connector housing and a plurality of columns of differential contact pairs and ground contacts. Each column of differential contact pairs and ground contacts is offset from an adjacent column, i.e. lower or higher than the adjacent column a small amount of distance from vertical direction, such that multi-active cross-talk is theoretically and ideally reduced with respect to each differential contact pair.
However, the Wingings connector can only mate with its own family, i.e. plug and receptacle connectors with offset arrangement. This offset arrangement inevitably prevents it from mating with a connector system without offset system. This will create a great deal of inconvenience. For example, if the existing system is a non-offset connector system, then the customer has to keep on using it, and vise versa.
Additionally, the Minch connector has a plurality of lead frame housings stacked together and accordingly a plurality columns of contacts arranged within the lead frame housings. The contacts in the lead frame housings have different contact designations and so the complementary mating connector has to have the lead frame assemblies with different configurations accordingly, which inevitably increases the manufacturing cost.
Accordingly, a connector system which can mate with either offset or non-offset system is highly desired for the market in view of cost-down trend.